User Reviews

Weaknesses: brakes !!!!! Tektro Drako brakes are absolute trash, Specialized should have went with the cheaper Shimano Deore brakes for about the same price range.

Front XC32 fork should have been Solo-Air for this price range, not coil spring.

Bottom Line:

This is a really great deal for the price range. My wife does not do FR or DH riding, just XC, Trail, and Single-track so the 100mm travel is plenty. The weight is a little high, but how many womens bikes out there are under $1,650 (we paid $1,500) and have a stand over that will fit a 5'3" rider.

The tires have all-ready been changed for better, the brakes are getting replaced with either Deore or SLX . I am looking into converting the XC32 coil to solo-air like the 2013 model comes with.

Bought this for my girl to ride with me. I thought that a specialized bike meant a great ride for a beginner. She rides slow and doesn't abide the bike, and it still drops the chain, makes noise at the front axle even after it was greased, and has crunchy shifts.

I took it to the shop for a tune up, and nothing changed. My entry level Haro bought at the same time has never given me a problem, and I abuse it, and it was cheaper, and came with lighter stock components.

Honestly, I wish I had bought something else, and I can't wait to sell it and get her a better bike.

Bike Setup: Replaced bars, stem and seatpost, which were more than 3 kilograms stock in total.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
Roman.A
a Cross Country Rider

Date Reviewed: July 10, 2012

Strengths: Good rear shock work. Bobs a little but does the job.
Good price for a Specialized.
Good control on high speed cornering in the woods (singles).
For the price they climb well.
Hydraulic brakes.

Weaknesses: Front shock is the worse I've been on! (although I'm spoiled by good stuff but still, it's heavy & works awful).
Pedals are touching the ground a lot.
They don't "roll" you have to pedal all the time and you look at people around you enjoying a nice little downhill.

Bottom Line:

Overall because choices are limited in the price range, they are pretty good.

I will definitely replace the fork and steering wheel components, and wheelset.
and they are as good as any much higher priced bikes out there.

Needed a bike for my 'tweenage daughter. Sloping top tube, plus the small frame size, gave us a bike that fits now and she will still ride as an adult. Drivetrain is good. Shimano Acera is not flashy or feather-light, but it works great. EF50 brake lever/shifters are good, and now my son wants a set of them for his bike. The Mega-range freewheel is nice for young riders, but an experienced rider might not care for the jump to a 34-tooth cog.
Brake arms are cheap no-name linnear pull. This is the big miss on this bike. There are enough affordable yet good quality brakes that they should not use what they did. They look like what you might see on a department store bike, and the spring screws are rusting. I plan to replace them by Spring.
Fork is low-end and pogos a little, but it is holding up well and will probably last. At this price point, I would rather they just put on a rigid fork. The low-end suspension forks they include are very limited and scream to be replaced. The for does, however, seem to be durable and will probably last if you are happy with it.
My daughter finds the saddle and grips uncomfortable, but those can be subjective items. I just put on a Bell Praia saddle (got on clearance somewhere) and bought Avenir Comfy Soft grips, but have not installed yet.
I would recommend this bike for a young teen who is looking for a bike to carry her into adult riding. I also recommend for new or recreational adult riders. A great bike to enjoy now and possibly upgrade in the future. If you already have a basic hardtail and are looking for something more, you won't want the Myka HT; but you should take a look at other bikes in the Myka line. The upper level bikes add disk brakes, better forks, and even full suspension, if that is what you are looking for.

Paid ~GBP 899. My girlfriend got this bike the same time as I bought a Prophet 2 and she loves it. Its seen red and black action at Glentress, Kirroughtree, CYB, Dalby, Cannock, Grizedale, Whinlatter and too many Yorkshire moor rock/mud fests to count and kept up with riders on bikes worth two or three times as much. Good frame and geometry (similar to previous Stumpys) and tunable shock means its a blast to ride up hill and down dale and the spec isnt too bad, but the fork is already knackered so upgrading to a Fox F100 asap. Would benefit from lighter wheels, bars, stem and seatpost to turn it into a real trail whippet.

Hey women/mountain bikers... I'm a newbie writhing in indecision. NO mountain biking experience. In fact, I haven't had a bicycle since I was a teenager in the 80s, yikes!
Ridden both (plus a few GTs, which I didn't care for). Like the shifting and color scheme a little better on the Specialized ... Read More »

I picked a new bike for my wife this past Christmas and I'm happy to say that she loves to ride it. She hasn't made the transition to all dirt yet, just pavement/dirt so far but that's fine. She's getting exercise and having fun doing it!
Anyway, the brakes it came with were HORRIBLE, Tektro mech ... Read More »

Hey Everyone!
First, thanks for even looking at my post. So, I'm very new to mtn biking and am in the market for my first "real" bike. I was originally going to go with the Myka HT but I came across what sounds to be an amazing deal online. Someone is selling their Myka FSR for $700- it's th ... Read More »